对话文本
S: does your family have a record of your ancestors?
N: sure. My mom has been working on our family tree for years. She’s always updating it.
S: do you have a copy of your family tree in your house? I’d love to see it.
N: I can show it to you now, if you like. I think it goes back about 8 generations so far.
S: that’s amazing. Do you have a large extended family?
N: I’ve got 30 cousins on my mom’s side and 10 cousins on my dad’s side.
S: are you very close to your first-cousins?
N: the ones that are my age are close relatives. Now that I’m older, I don’t spend as much time with them as I used to, so I don’t know my younger cousins as well as the older ones.
S: I see. who’s the head of your household?
N: it’s definitely my mother. And, her mother is definitely the matriarch of the bigger family.
S: that’s interesting. What does your grandfather think of your step-mother?
N: at first, she was quite critical of her, but now that they’ve been married for a few years, she’s starting to accept the fact that my father divorced my mother.
S: that’s pretty much how you feel about your step-mother. Like grandmother, like grandson.
参考翻译
你们家有家谱吗？
当然有了。我妈妈这些年来一直在整理家谱，而且保持更新。
你家里有副本吗？我很想看一看。
如果你想看，我现在就可以拿给你。我想这本大概能追溯到8代前。
这太有意思了，你们家族很庞大吗？
在我母亲那边我大概有30个堂兄弟姐妹，我父亲这边大概有10个。
你和你的堂兄弟姐妹关系走的近吗？
跟我年龄相近的几个是近亲。既然我们一起长大，不会像以前那样有很多时间和他们一起玩。所以那些年纪很小或很老的亲戚，我都不怎么认识。
明白了。谁是你家的一家之主？
当然是我母亲。而她的母亲算是这个大家庭的族长。
这真有趣。你奶奶是怎么看你继母的？
原来她好像总是挑她的刺，后来他们结婚的年头久了，她似乎开始接受我父亲和我母亲离婚的这个现实了。
这大概也是你对你继母的感觉吧。真是有其祖母，必有其孙子。
实战句型
China no longer has families where four generations live under the same roof.
中国现在很少再有四世同堂的大家庭了。

Like father, like son.
有其父必有其子。

First cousins are close relatives.
堂表兄弟是近亲。

It was difficult at first. I think my step-mother was often quite critical of me.
起初的日子很难熬，总觉得继母对我的要求过于严苛。
实战词汇
Relative 亲戚
Take after 长得像
Family tree 家谱
Patriarch 族长
Financially independent 经济独立
Retirement home 养老院
Cousin 表兄弟姐妹
Kinsmen by family 姻亲
Reuion 团聚
Mother-in-law 岳母，婆婆